Shielded dome and actuator assembly for foam valves



R. C. HUG

June 18, 1968 SHIELDED DOME AND ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY FOR FOAM VALVES FiledApril 25, 1967 III! United States Patent Oflice 3,388,849 Patented June18, 1 6?) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLDSURE A dome and actuator assembly forpressurized foam dispensers permits rinsing without accumulating waterin the valve mounting cup. Across the dome, mounted in the valvemounting cup. Across the rome, mounted exteriorly of the mounting cuprim, i a sloping drain channel having a central opening surrounded by aprotecting ridge. A diametral dispensing actuator, recessed within thedrain channel, is fitted onto the valve stem through the opening. Sidesof the actuator overhang the protecting ridge, to shed rinse waterbeyond the ridge, for draining out of the lower end of the drainchannel.

Background of the invention Valves and dispensing actuators forpressurized foam dispensers commonly include a metal mounting cup whoseupper rim is crimped sealingly into the mouth of the dispensingcontainer. Frequently the mounting cup is concealed by an ornamentalplastic dome in which the actuator is fitted. With such construction, ifthe user chooses to rinse the actuator, rinse water may pass between theactuator and dome, to be retained in the mounting cup under the dome.

The general purpose of the present invention is to 50 form the dome andactuator that they cooperate in exeluding rinse water from the mountingcup. A further purpose is to provide a close-fitting dome and actuatorassembly especially for tilt-operating valves, which will have increasedclearance during tilting operation. Other more detailed purposes willappear from the following disclosure.

Summary the invention In the present invention the upper dome surfacehas a drain channel, including a channel-like recessed drain surfaceportion flanked by side walls and extending to the radially outward wallof the dome, preferably sloping downward across the entire diameter ofthe dome from a narrow upper end to a broader lower drain fiow exit end.

he drain surface has an opening elongated in the direction of thedownward slope and surrounded by a protecting ridge. The actuator, whichlikewise extends across the entire diameter, is accommodated within thedrain channel and fitted, through the opening, onto the valve stem. Thesides of the actuator overhang the protecting ridge. Water applied forrinsing will drip from the overhanging sides of the actuator onto thedrain surface, and flow thereon outwardly of the ridge between thechannel sides to drain from the flow exit end. Hence, no rinse waterwill enter the mounting cup.

The actuator broadens rearwardly from the nozzle end to a finger padportion at the opposite end; and the drain channel is likewisebroadened. Pressing downward on the finger pad portion tilts theactuator aft and downward in the elongated opening; when released, itreturns upward and forwardly to closed position. Aft movement of theactuator increases its clearance within the drain channel; hence inclosed position it may have a minimum of clearance, which adds to theattractiveness of the assembly and of itself tends to exclude rinsewater.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a sectional view of ashielded dome and actuator assembly embodying the present invention, inplace on a tilt-operating valve.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the assembly of FIG. 1, with the actuator partlybroken away. The phantom outline indicates the position of the actuatorwhen the valve is operated by tilting.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the assembly, from the rear, the left sidebeing in section.

Description of the preferred embodiment Conventional elements shown inthe drawings are the dispensing container (1, the mounting cup b crimpedwithin its rim and having a central pedestal c, the valve mechanismincluding a rubber washer d clamped by a plastic adaptor cup e to whicha dip tube 1 is mounted, a tubular tilt stem valve member g, and a coilspring 11 within the adaptor cup e, which serves to erect the tubularvalve spout g when tilted.

The present shielded dome and actuator assembly consists of two members.A hollow plastic dome generally designated It has a hollow cylindricalside wall 11, a substantially horizontal top wall portion 12 as shown inFIG. 3, and projecting downward from it and concentric with the outerwall 11, a cylindrical mounting tube 13. The diameter of the mountingtube 13 is such that its lower rim portion 14 may grasp the outer rimsurface of the mounting cup b.

Extending across the dome 10 is a channel-like recessed drain generallydesignated 16. As shown in FIG. 3, the drain channel 16 commences at thenarrower front or nozzle end of the dome 10; and has side channel walls17 which diverge rearwardly. The bottom of the drain channel 16 startsat a sill 18 at the nozzle end of the dome, and consists of a drainsurface 20 which extends between the lower edges of the channel sidewalls 17 and slopes from the sill 18 to the outer wall 11 of the dome1t) diametrically opposite. The exit end of the drain is over the rearedge 21 of the drain surface 20.

Because of the aft slope of the drain channel 20 and the actuator in it,which will be later described, the upper dome surface 12 has inwardsloping facets 22 which join the channel sides 17.

Along the central vertical axis 1' of the dome and elongated aft along arecess center line k i a protective surrounding ridge 2.3 about anelongated central opening 24. The ridge 23 is formed integrally with andis elevated somewhat above the drain surface 26, being in effect a lowwall about the elongated opening 24.

The other member of the assembly is the dispensing actuator, generallydesignated 30, seen in crosssection in FIG. 1, in plan view in FlG. 2,and partly in lateral crosssection and partly in rear elevation in FIG.3. It has a bottom infiow opening provided by a central vertical tubularmounting portion 32 which is press fitted onto the valve stem g. Thetubular portion 32 is in flow communication with an upward and outwardslanting fiow channel 33 which leads to a nozzle outlet 34 in theforward end of the actuator 30.

Side surfaces 36 0f the actuator 30 are vertical and fit within the sidewalls 17 of the channel-like drain 16, overhanging well outwardly of theprotective ridge 23. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the side surfaces36 diverge broadeningly from the nozzle end 34 of the actuator 30. Whenthe valve mechanism is closed and its stem g is erect, as shown in solidlines in FIGS. 1 and 2, the actuator sides 36 fit adjacent to the drainchannel side 17 with a minimum of clearance. When the valve is operated,the actuator 30 moves aft and downward, as shown in phantom lines inFIGS. 1 and 2, and clearance increases; when the valve stem g returns toerect position the close fit is restored.

The upper surface 37 of the actuator 30 is trough-like, sloping down andbroadeningly from the nozzle end opening 34 to the rear. When the userplaces his finger between the facets 22, the trough-like rear portion ofthe surface 37 readily accommodates his finger; therefore this rearportion is referred to as the finger pad portion 38. As seen from FIG.1, a downward force applied to the finger pad portion 38 will tilt theactuator 30 aft. As it does so, the undersurface 39' of the finger padportion 38 moves downwardly in the space provided above the drainsurface 20 adjacent to the rear edge 21.

If the user should rinse the assembly, the convenient tapering facets22, which aid the user in centering his finger on the finger pad portion38, will of course tend to direct water toward the inner portions of thedome 10. Yet a relatively small amount of water will pass between theclosely fitted actuator sides 36 and drain channel side walls 17; andlikewise the sill 18 will tend to prevent water from passing beneath thenozzle end 34. Regardless how much water may enter the drain channel 16,it will be shed by the sides 36 of the actuator 30 beyond the protectiveridge 23 which surrounds the central opening 24. Assuming the containera is erect, the water will fiow over the surface portion 20 to the drainflow exit at the rear edge 21. Also, the upper surface 37 of theactuator 30 itself serves as a trough-like drain. As a result of thesedescribed features, rinse water will not enter the mounting cup [2.

Following out the teachings of this invention, modifications in detailmay be made to fit particular design purposes. Accordingly thisinvention should not be construed narrowly but rather as co-extensivewith the claims hereof.

I claim:

1. For use with a pressurized dispenser having a valve assemblyincluding an upward stem'and a cup-like mounting member whose cup rim isfitted onto the mouth of a container, 7

a shielded dome and actuator assembly adapted to exclude rinse waterfrom such cup-like member, comprising a dispensing actuator havingcentral vertical tubular inlet means to fit on such valve stem in flowcommunicating relationship, and

a shielding dome having a radially outward wall covering the rim of suchcup-like member and having an upper dome surface including a recess,

the recess having sides which accommodate the said dispensing actuatorand further having a central opening between said sides,

characterized in that the said recess is a channel including a recesseddrain surface portion extending to a drain flow exit at the radiallyoutward wall of the dome and flanked by side channel walls, and

the said central opening is in said drain surface portion and has anintegral surrounding ridge spaced between the channel walls and elevatedabove said drain surface portion, further characterized in that thedispensing actuator has sides overhanging outwardly of said ridge,

whereby water entering the recess will flow on the recessed drainsurface portion outwardly of the ridge and to the drain flow exit.

2. A shielded dome and actuator assembly as defined in claim 1, whereinthe recessed drain surface portion slopes downward to the drain flowexit.

3. A shielded dome and actuator assembly as defined in claim 1, whereinthe recessed drain surface portion of the dome extends substantially thefull diameter thereof, and

the dispensing actuator extends therein across substantially the fulldiameter of the dome, and

has a nozzle end opening adjacent to one end of such diameter, and

has a finger pad portion on its upper surface at the other end of saiddiameter.

4. A shielded dome and actuator assembly as defined in claim 1, whereinthe dispensing actuator has as its upper surface a radially extendingtrough.

5. For use with a pressurized dispenser having a valve assembly of thetilt stem type including a cup-like mounting member whose cup rim isfitted onto the mouth of a container,

a shielded dome and actuator assembly adapted to exclude rinse waterfrom such cup-like member, comprising a shielded dome and actuatorassembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the central opening in the domerecess and its surrounding ridge are elongated along a center line ofthe recess,

whereby to permit tilting of the valve.

6. A shielded dome and actuator assembly as defined in claim 5, whereinthe recessed drain surface portion of the dome extends substantially thefull diameter thereof, and

the dispensing actuator extends therein across substantially the fulldiameter of the dome, and

has a nozzle end opening adjacent to one end of such diameter, and

has a finger pad portion on its upper surface at the other end of saiddiameter, and

the recessed drain surface has a sill closely beneath the actuatorsnozzle end, and

said drain surface portion slopes from said sill downwardly across thedome to the drain How exit spacedly beneath the actuators finger padportion, and

the said elongation of the central opening and its surrounding ridgeextends in the direction of downward slope,

'whereby downward force applied to the finger pad portion tilts theactuator aft and moves its finger pad portion downwardly within thespace above the recessed surface portion adjacent to the drain flowexit.

7. A shielded dome and actuator assembly as defined in claim 6, whereinthe dispensing actuator and the channel in which it is accommodatedtaper broadeningly from the actuator nozzle end to the finger padportion, whereby on tilting to open the valve the actuator moves aft, toincrease its clearance within the sides of the channel, and on closingthe valve it moves forward to a position of minimum clearance within thesides of the channel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,831,613 4/1958 Solfer 222-1823,180,531 4/1965 Beard et al 222182 3,180,536 4/1965 Meshberg 222-402.13X 3,231,142 1/1966 McGhie et al. 222-40213 3,314,572 4/ 1967 Pungitore222-146 3,347,423 10/1967 Rahn et al 222-402.l3 X

ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

K. N. LEIMER, Assistant Examiner.

